2011-02-Summar & Fall-Volume 30 Issue 2
- 1. ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ President’s Message ♦ Important Announcement ♦ Needed Full Slate Officers/ Waiver Notice Election Candidacy ♦ Register: Fall Seminar: November 4 & 5 ♦ Second Notice of Annual Meeting ♦ Proxy for Annual Meeting ♦ Election Announcement— Declaration of Candidacy ♦ NOTICE STUDENTS: Publishing Opportunity ♦ Scholarship for Students ♦ Award Scholarship for Members ♦ NALA Campus ♦ State & Chapter News ♦ Take These Three Steps for Career Success —By: Vicki Voisin, ACP ♦ Association & Chapters :Facebook ♦ Spring Seminar Rotation ♦ Request for Volunteers from Your Paralegal Advocate Team ♦ 2011 Board Members & Directors ♦ NALA CP/CLA Exam Schedule ♦ Sustaining Members ♦ The Paralegal Advocate Team ♦ Deadlines & Contact Information Tennessee Paralegal Association Post Office Box 21723 Chattanooga, TN 37424 ♦♦ E-Mail: info@tnparalegal.org ♦♦ Web Site: http://www.tnparalegal.org ♦♦ Greetings TPA Members: Hope everyone had a great Summer and is ready for Fall!! Our Spring Seminar was hosted by our Southeast Chap- ter. The topics were very informative and we had a good turnout. I want to thank the Southeast Chapter for hosting a great seminar. The NALA Convention was held on July 27-29, 2011. Tammie Murphy, CLA and I attended on behalf of TPA. We attended meetings and exhibits and obtained ideas from other Paralegal organizations to help our as- sociation grow. At our Spring board meeting, at the request of the West TN Chapter Chairperson and its members, the board voted to hold the West TN Chapter of TPA dormant for one year in hopes that they could grow their mem- bership and participation. Our Fall Seminar will be held November 4-5, 2011 in Lebanon, Tennessee. Our First Vice President, LaFran Plunk, is working extremely hard on the seminar. Please check the website for the registration form and topics for the Fall Seminar. Hope to see each of you at the Fall Seminar! Yours very truly, Sherri S. Fawver, CP TPA President
- 2. Fall Seminar Conference & Annual Membership Meeting TIME FOR REGISTRATION NOVEMBER 4-5, 2011 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lebanon, TN GO TO OUR WEBSITE FOR: Registration Form Hotel Accommodations & Reservation Information Agenda for Conference Seminar NEEDED FULL SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR 2012 NOTICE WAIVER OF ELECTION DEADLINE PLEASE COMPLETE DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY FOR OFFICE OF YOUR CHOICE ON PAGE 3 & RETURN VIA E-MAIL TO IN- FO@TNPARALEGAL.ORG — THANK YOU —
- 3. SECOND NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING Notice is hereby given of the Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Paralegal Association to be held at the Holiday Inn in Lebanon, Tennessee on November 5, 2011. During the Annual Meeting, the election of TPA officers for the year 2012 will take place. If you are unable to attend, please forward your proxy vote to: TPA Attn: Annual Meeting – TPA Secretary via e-mail to info@tnparalegal.org designating who will cast your votes by October 30, 2011 OR you may send your proxy vote with the member who will be casting your vote at the meeting, to be submitted prior to the election. __________________________________________________________________ PROXY FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE TENNESSEE PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011 MEMBER’S NAME: ________________________________________________ DESIGNATED MEMBER’S NAME: ___________________________________ _______________________________________ Member’s Signature ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note: The slate of officers for our 2012 election will be posted to members last recorded e-mail by October 16, 2011. REVISION—DEADLINE EXTENDED & NOTICE ELECTION WAIVED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT If you wish to run for an office please fill out the below and submit to Attn: Annual Meeting – TPA Secretary by October 10, 2011 at info@tnparalegal.org DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY I, , hereby certify that I am an active member in good standing of the Ten- nessee Paralegal Association and do hereby declare myself a good candidate for the office of for the Tennessee Paralegal Association for the year 2012. If elected, I promise that I will faithfully discharge all the duties of the office for which I am elected. This the day of , 2011. Signature
- 4. NOTICE PARALEGAL/LEGAL ASSISTANT STUDIES STUDENTS Looking for written articles from paralegal/legal assistant studies students to publish in our quarterly newsletters Basic guidelines: Article/essay can be up to 1 or 2 pages. Topic should be on a current legal issue, topic, or subject. It can be an essay or informational piece on the chosen top- ic. Article can be sent by e-mail to info@tnparalegal.org with subject heading “Student article submission for review to the Paralegal Advocate” – student will need to include full name, e-mail contact and school attending. The student, if article is selected, can add to their resume as being selected for publica- tion in our newsletter & will need to submit final in Word document for publishing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCHOLARSHIPS SPONSORED BY TPA The Lawassa B. Jones Scholarship (For Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Major Students) & A CP/CLA Exam Scholarship (For Tennessee Paralegal Association Members) For more information GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT: www.tnparalegal.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward any announcements for The Paralegal Advocate to in- fo@tnparalegal.org Attn: Paralegal Advocate Team NALA CAMPUS LIVE! GO TO http://www.nalacampus.com
- 5. Our Fall Seminar and Annual Meeting is coming up on November 4th & 5th. Please consider taking an active role in your Association. You can utilize any of the announce- ments and/or forms in this issue or in the alternative check with any of our Board mem- bers to see what assistance you can provide that matches your preferences. Our West TN Chapter always has devoted members that contribute immensely to our Association and its Chapter. The geographic location in the West provide many chal- lenges for members to be active in participation of their Chapter membership meetings and regular scheduled activities as a Chapter. The West Chapter is going dormant for the next year and hopefully by this time next year a new interest in active involvement for membership will be present. The small number of West Chapter members are elect- ing currently to be members At Large. The Southeast Chapter has begun to have their Lunch ‘N Learn meetings at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Miller Room in downtown Chattanooga on the third Tuesday of each month. Attendance varies from 14 to 20 + individuals. Efforts to match twenty-seven Chattanooga State paralegal students to paralegals for shadowing was successful. Paul Ray of their Paralegal Studies Program, along with the students have expressed their appreciation to those paralegals that supported them in these efforts. Our new Central Chapter is meeting the challenge of growing their Chapter. Rachael Reach and Theresa Carrico have been promoting our Association at a number of local paralegal schools. Our East Chapter has continued to work on their book drive for the Knox County Jail Library (a project started at the Public Defender’s office) and assisting with Second Har- vest. Also, they have been working on a membership drive, including calling current and recent members to see what more can be offered to our Membership that is not cur- rently being met.
- 6. Throughout my career, I have immersed myself in learning. Because I have always worked as a paralegal, I have primarily attended and spoken at law- related seminars. Lately I've become interested in time and space organization, so I've been learning a lot about that, too. I've discovered, though, that it is also important to take ample time to focus on personal development. Why? Because it's essential that you work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you do this, the job will take care of itself and your life will be successful. Over the years, I have learned 3 steps for success that I want to share with you. I refer to these as my "a-has" because they have helped me focus on very important areas of my life and they have also helped me create a successful career. 1. You are the average of the five PEOPLE you hang around the most. This is a princi- ple taught by Jim Rohn, whom some call the father of personal development. A light bulb went off when I heard this. It made me realize that it's necessary to surround myself with peo- ple I want to be like....people who are success oriented, who have vision, who have spirit and dedication. The key is to make a concerted effort to be with people who think big and talk about great ideas, instead of the headlines of People Magazine, the price of gas (how depressing!), or how much they hate their jobs and their bosses. Attitudes and levels of thinking are conta- gious. Beware! There are tons of great seminars offered both where you live and all around the country. You have no excuse not to get out there and surround yourself with people who have positive atti- tudes and like-minded goals. 2. Your ENVIRONMENT must support your goals. Your success depends more on your environment than you may realize so it's imperative that you give yourself an environment that supports you at the level you want to attain, not the level you are at now. There are three areas of your environment that you should give your utmost attention: Your physical environment. Do you love your work space? Do you have enough room to work comfortably? Does this space encourage you to think? Are you surrounded by things that are beautiful and bring good memories, such an eye-catching piece of art? We can't all have a gorgeous view from our offices, or even a window, but we can create an environment that brings us peace and tranquility without spending a lot of money. Little touch- es like flowers, photos of friends, family or your recent vacation, even an interesting paper- weight, can make you feel good. Your emotional environment. Do you get the support you need from your friends, family and co-workers? These people are not mind readers. It's up to you to ask for what you need from them. I have a great group of friends that I can bounce ideas off, ask for help with problem solving, and share my successes. Of course, sometimes I just need to vent! If your friends, family and co-workers can't provide this, you may need to find a career coach or a support group that will.
- 7. Your intellectual environment. It's crucial that you feed your brain with new ideas and up- to-the-minute knowledge. Are you stimulating your brain every day? If not, you need to find a way to make this happen...to expose yourself to creative and innovative thinking that will stretch and increase your brain power. Again, seminars, tele-classes and books/audio programs are helpful. I really enjoy listening to these on my iPod so I can learn while I take a walk or when I travel...this makes a long drive, a lengthy wait in an airport, or my time on an airplane zip by. My personal favorite is downloading books to my iPod from my membership at www.audible.com. iTunes also has many podcasts and other programs available at little or no cost. 3. Your future is created by your habits. It only makes sense that your daily habits will create long-lasting effects in your life. The habits you establish today will determine the results you have tomorrow. If you want to be healthy and in shape, you must have the habits of a person who is healthy and in shape. If you want to be a successful paralegal, you must have the habits of a successful par- alegal. If you want to be a leader, you must have the habits of a leader. None of these things will happen tomorrow unless you establish habits today that will lead to the results you want. Your challenge: Visualize YOUR tomorrow. What kind of person do you want to be? Where do you want your career to take you? Then decide: What new habit can you put into place now that will make your tomorrow what you want it to be? What can you do today to cre- ate a work environment that gives you joy? What will you do to surround yourself with people who will support you and who will be a positive influence? Ask yourself these questions now so that you can create habits for yourself today that will result in the tomorrow you want. =================================================================== ©2010 Vicki Voisin, Inc. Do you want to use this article in your newsletter, ezine or Web site? You can so long as you include this entire blurb with it: Vicki Voisin, "The Paralegal Mentor", delivers simple strategies for paralegals and other professionals to create success and satisfaction by achieving goals and determining the direction they will take their careers. Vicki spotlights resources, organizational tips, ethics issues, and other areas of continuing education to help paralegals and others reach their full potential. She publishes a weekly ezine titled Paralegal Strategies and co-hosts The Paralegal Voice, a monthly podcast produced by Legal Talk Network. More information is available at www.paralegalmentor.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keep track of our Association & Chapters on Face Book Tennessee Paralegal Association East Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Paralegal Association Southeast Chapter Tennessee Paralegal Association Central Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Paralegal Association ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spring Seminar Rotation: Central 2012, West 2013, East 2014, Southeast 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Request for Volunteers to join the Paralegal Advocate Team: We want to put your skills to work at what you do best. You determine the time commitment. We tell you what we need and you tell us what you are able to contribute. This is a great for adding to your resume and opportunity to be more active in your Association while doing what you enjoy. ♦ Authoring articles on legal topics or additional information of interest for our Membership; ♦ Selection of relevant legal articles from various sources & obtaining permission from author for publication in The Paralegal Advocate; ♦ Requesting individuals in the legal field to write an article for The Paralegal Advocate; ♦Proofreading submitted articles &/or final draft of The Paralegal Advocate for publication; ♦Marketing liaison – reach out to vendors in the legal field to see if they want to advertise in our newsletter; ♦Creative submissions or standing column is another consideration/opportunity If you are interested in volunteering to join our Team, please e-mail us at in- fo@tnparalegal.org Thank you very much. Your Paralegal Advocate Team
- 8. Contact the officers/board members via our new e-mail address at: info@tnparalegal.com or directly from our website at www.tnparalegal.org President: Sherri S. Fawver, CP, Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan, Knoxville First Vice President: LaFran Plunk, West Tennessee Legal Services, Jackson Second Vice President: Christie L. Gass, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chattanooga NALA Liaison: Tammie Murphy, CLA, Toppenberg & Burke, P.C., Knoxville Secretary: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga Treasurer: Phyllis A. Carter, SunTrust Bank (Retired), Chattanooga Central Region Director: Rachael Reach, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville East Region Director: Pamela K. Leckey, CLA, Peggy G. Comstock Attorney at Law, Knoxville West Region Director: Tammy R. Bradford, John D. Hamilton Attorney at Law, Jackson Central TN Chapter Chair: Theresa Carrico, CP, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville East TN Chapter Chair: Nita Gorman, Gary A. Davis and Associates, North Carolina S.E. TN Chapter Chair: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga West TN Chapter Chair: Courtney Sydnor, Nix, Patterson & Roach LLP, Jackson Historian: Susan Westmoreland, CEBS, Horton & Maddox PLLC (Retired), Chattanooga Parliamentarian: Susan Westmoreland, CEBS, Horton & Maddox PLLC (Retired), Chattanooga Publication Chair: Laysha M. McCullaugh, CP, Fleissner, Davis and Johnson, Chattanooga Website Committee Chair: Theresa Carrico, CP, Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Burrow, Nashville
- 9. http://www.nashvillelibrary.info/ http://www.everythingjustso.com/ Remember Our Sustaining Members Who Support Us!! Thank You!! http://gibsonreporters.com/
- 10. http://www.nadn.org Remember Our Sustaining Members Who Support Us!! Thank You!! http://www.roanestate.edu/ http://www.utc.edu/
- 11. Is published quarterly by the Tennessee Paralegal Association, an affiliate of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. Articles and other information for the newsletter should be sent to the Advocate Team at the below e-mail address. Please title subject head- ing “For TPA Advocate.” info@tnparalegal.org Or Tennessee Paralegal Association Attention: Advocate Team Post Office Box 21723, Chattanooga, TN 37424 UPCOMING ISSUE DEADLINES WINTER: DECEMBER 31, 2011 SPRING: MARCH 31, 2012 SUMMER: JUNE 30, 2012 FALL: SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 SPECIAL REQUEST: PLEASE SUBMIT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO DEADLNE, IF POSSIBLE. THANKS! MESSAGE FROM THE PARALEGAL ADVOCATE TEAM We would appreciate your contribution to The Paralegal Advocate by submitting articles of interest to you to be published. Please note the deadlines for each issue and feel free to provide any information you would like published prior to the deadline. If you would like to have articles published on specific topics in the Advocate, please contact us. — The Paralegal Advocate Team